Cooking utensils have been made in many forms with the objects of conserving heat energy, distributing the heat evenly, and controlling the loss of moisture, as well as lightweight, simplicity, cost, convenience, and ease of cleaning.
Since the first mass manufacture of cooking utensils by stamping and drawing of sheet metal began a century ago, the common western designs have been appropriate to environments where kitchen space and time were plentiful and heat energy cheap. Present trends imply a need for a new approach to the problem.